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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22428004">better than a promise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocket_rach/pseuds/rocket_rach'>rocket_rach</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>different universe, different family [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>World's Finest (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU where Karen doesnt yeet Helena away before Bruce can say hi, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, References to Depression, alternate universe dad bonding, might make a series out of this we'll see, wow those are some heavy tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:08:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22428004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocket_rach/pseuds/rocket_rach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In world's finest (2012) #10, Helena goes to visit Damian's grave. But this time, Karen doesn't yank her to safety.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bruce Wayne &amp; Helena Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>different universe, different family [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>better than a promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He’s so young. His jawline has significantly less scars than her own father’s, and he doesn’t have as much bulk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also doesn’t have guns on his belt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a vibrant reminder that this man with the bat emblazoned on his chest is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>her father. But when he addresses her, it's the same exact growl that her father had under the cowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We met, you know? We fought. He was good. Damn good.I--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pounces, but she is his daughter. If even in another universe. She raises her arms to block, rolling to safety before she speaks again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did he ever tell you about how he found me out?” She asks as she pulls her hair from her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ground is still mushy from the earlier rain, so she has to adjust her footing. Helena can feel his eyes cataloguing everything. The boots, the mask, the outfit and the crossbows clipped to her hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Waynes are nothing if not overzealous preparers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mercifully</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his clenched fists relax an infinitesimal bit. He’s still on edge, but he’s listening. This Bruce isn’t her father, but he sure does act like him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He caught me funneling money from your accounts. We fought, you know, standard Robin greeting?” Helena doesn’t miss the way his mouth quirks up for a moment. “Then we started talking. He reminded me of my dad. Effective, brash, understanding. Reasonable. I couldn’t believe how young this kid was. He was young, but he was one of the most well-trained kids I’ve ever seen in my life. Most importantly? Damian </span>
  <em>
    <span>listened</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was one of the most well trained fighters on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>planet</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Bruce says after a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She watches as he peels back the cowl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Depression is a hell of a sickness. It pales you, stripping you down till you’re nothing but loneliness and rotting despair, consuming the fat on the bones until you’re a hollow caricature of the person you once were. She knows this as well as she knows the scars that line her body. Some of those scars appeared after her father died. After her and Karen were ripped from their homeworld and sent to this extremely young and extremely embattled universe. She catches herself reaching forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is not her father. She is not his child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he doesn’t move away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Helena asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His mother…” Bruce presses palms of his hands to his eyes, baring his teeth for a moment. “His mother is a - Talia Al Ghul. His mother is the daughter of the demon. Ra’s wanted a vessel. A newer body to continue his endless campaign. The circumstances of his birth were--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Helena has worked as a vigilante long enough to recognize the signs of deeply harmful trauma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But god,” Bruce continues after collecting himself. “He was my son. He was so bright. Angry, for a good reason but bright and so damned smart. But after Damian came into my care,” She knows he wanted to say his protection, because that’s what Robin originally was. Bruce and Batman’s protection. “We had no idea that his mother wasn’t finished. She’d cloned him, accelerated his growth and made a monster from my boy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Helena moves closer. There were a lot of rules her father and mother had laid out when she first placed that domino mask on her face. Rule sixteen, </span>
  <em>
    <span>do not hug unless you’ve just brushed with death.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She breaks that rule. She’s not even entirely sure he has that rule. So Helena Wayne of Earth 2 takes the chance and hugs her Not Dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bruce stiffens. He’s always been a wall. But that wall crumbles seconds after. His gauntleted hands hug her fiercely as she hears the quiet gasping sobs break from this man. She holds. She holds because he can’t anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to bring him back,” he whispers. “If I have to fight god to do it, I’ll bring my son back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A promise is easily broken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A Wayne promise is an </span>
  <em>
    <span>assurance.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ho my god i am in love with this world's finest series i mean absolutely fucking in love with it. smash that kudos button if you want a series (I'll probably make one anyway??? I just love Bruce's superpower of being a Dad to all kids, even alt universe kids)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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